Rebuilding Life, Discovering Happiness
by greenfishbluefish
Summary: Set during Twilight. The Cullens are vampires in Forks, and Bella is one of them. Human Edward moves to Forks and drama ensues.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is the first fanfic I've posted, and I'm doing it to gain some experience, since I'm not sure if the overall idea is feasible. Your constructive criticism of the storyline and my writing style is more than welcome.**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. I don't. Which is probably good, because I'm not so good at sharing…**

"Are we driving all the way through?" I asked my Father, glancing at the clock on the dashboard. It now read 11:30 pm.

When it became obvious he was not going to answer, I signed and turned to look out the window. For two days we had been racing across the country, escaping the past as best we could. The only break in the monotony came as the golden fields of Iowa and Nebraska rose to become the Rocky Mountains and finally sloped into the twisting, wooded highways of Washington State.

As far as I could tell, we were still at least an hour from our destination, although the switchback curves in the road made gauging the distance difficult. One more hour of silence seemed unbearable after all I had endured so far, but at the same time, I dreaded the moment the car would stop and we would become part of a new world.

Forks, Washington. Delightful. It was nothing like Chicago. It was too somnolent here, with little to distract us from the introspection that plagued us incessantly. Neither my father nor I needed that; our relationship was strained enough as it was. I really did not understand why we couldn't have stopped in Seattle; it would have been much more convenient for his law practice. But that decision wasn't mine to make. With luck, I would be out of here in a year and a half.

As I pondered this, the car slowed, and we passed into the town limits. Our new house was only ten minutes off the highway, and looking at it, I grimaced. It was small and crowded back against the forest. A single car garage seemed to be added as an afterthought and, like the rest of the house had once been painted white. I compared it with a mental picture of the home we had left behind: sprawling suburban ranch. The contrast would have been ridiculous had the reason for the change been less overwhelming.

With a mental groan, I grabbed a box and headed into the house. I went straight upstairs, not caring enough to explore the cramped living quarters. At the top of the stairway was a short hall leading to three tiny bedrooms, a small linen cupboard and a bathroom. I escaped into the first bedroom and closed the door, relieved to finally have some solitude.

Downstairs, I heard my father enter the house and call for me. "Edward, come down. We need to discuss a few things."

Reluctantly, I went back down the stairs and into the kitchen where my father stood, looking out the window.

When he heard me stop in the doorway, he turned around, keeping his eyes down. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

"No," I said shortly. "Is that all?"

"Edward," he began softly, and peered up at me for a quick second, before averting his gaze, as if he couldn't bear the sight of me.

I waited, grinding my teeth in the uncomfortable silence.

"Edward," he started again, "I want you to make a conscious effort here. You still have some time to turn things around, and tomorrow can be your new beginning. It's not too late."

"Okay. Goodnight," I mumbled, as I turned and went back upstairs.

He didn't answer, just as I knew he wouldn't. Even as he had just given me encouragement, it was as if I couldn't hear his mind saying, "Go away. Leave me in peace. I don't want you anymore." And I knew that was true.

In the quiet of my empty bedroom, I lay thinking. Finally, with a great effort, I closed my eyes and tried very hard to sleep.

**A/N:** **Well, that's it. Chapter One. I suppose it's a bit short. I do have a partial second chapter, and I hope to keep them coming fairly regularly. I'm still not sure if I'll do Edward's or Bella's POV, so I'll try both and see. Be sure to tell me what you think!**

**Love,**

**GreenFish**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** **So this is chapter two. I guess I'm still 'stage-setting' as far as plot/action goes. This is Edward's POV again. Let me know if you think it's believable or not.**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer is the Twilight wondergirl. I don't have any superpowers really. I just kind of rock at everything…**

I woke early. Again. Restful sleep had evaded me since the first night of my sickness, so many months ago. Pushing my thoughts away I rolled from my bed and left my room. I resisted looking in at my father before dressing and going downstairs. I could sense that he was still asleep. Taking advantage of his personal days, no doubt. Days he claimed to need to 'move on.' Moping was more like it. I snorted, and then checked myself. It was unfair to judge him too harshly; he had had to endure much more than I had faced.

Of course, it wasn't my face he had to look at in the mirror every morning. He had no idea how much the reflection tormented me. The singular messy bronze hair. The striking emerald eyes. The full lips and pale complexion. The face of my mother. Nothing could be worse than that. Shaking my head, I grabbed my bookbag and left, pausing to lock the door behind me.

After I backed my car out of the driveway and started the drive to Forks High School, I began to relax. Sitting behind the wheel of my silver Volvo always served to calm me unlike most things I did.

When I pulled into the parking lot, I drove around slowly. Most of the other cars in the parking lot were dented and rusty with peeling paint. I settled on a parking space near a sleek black Aston Martin Vanquish. My curiosity was piqued as I examined it, wondering who would live in such a dreary place if they could afford such a car.

As I got out, I paused, trying to capture the tenor of the school. Relatively mundane, I decided. As I concluded this assessment, three of the four doors of the Vanquish opened and two girls and a boy got out. My gaze was drawn toward them because, unrelated as they all seemed, they were also possessed by an innate grace and beauty that made them exactly alike and separated them from everybody else. The girls were both small and slender, though the black-haired one was petite to the extreme, where the brunette was softer and more delicate in appearance. The blond boy towered over them and was well-muscled.

As I watched, their impassive expressions became smirks as the boy walked over to the fourth door and rapped lightly on the window. The black-haired girl held up five fingers and began putting them down one at a time. As she lowered her last finger, the boy yanked the door open and an enormous black-haired boy and beautiful blond girl tumbled out, landing on the cement. In a flash, the girl was up, facing away from me toward the other three. I didn't have to see her face to know she was livid.

"Thanks, Alice," she said acerbically. "I was really looking forward to changing one more time this morning. Don't you care that I want to look good?" And without another glance, she grabbed her backpack and stalked toward the school.

The second boy began following her but turned back long enough to send a wink and a smirk in the general direction of the other three. After smiling conspiratorially amongst themselves, the smallest girl and the boy began to walk away.

"Come on, Bella," she called over her shoulder.

"I'll catch up," the brunette responded. "I need to get my stuff." With that, she turned back to the car.

That was when her eyes locked on mine. I was suddenly aware of her devastating beauty, and even though we were separated by four parking spaces, I could feel myself falling through space and time as my heart picked up speed. I gave her a nice smile- not too curious, not too knowing- just friendly. Her eyes tightened just barely before she broke her gaze and walked away.

I let out a long breath. If that was the way everyone was going to receive me, maybe I would do better to just drive home. But compared to what waited for me there, being a school outcast was definitely the lesser of the two evils. I forced my feet forward; one after the other, bracing myself for what would surely be the worst day of my life.

**A/N: Review? Please? I feel silly for begging, but if the story is terrible, just tell me. I can handle it. Or if it just needs to be reworked. **

**Love,**

**GreenFish**


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